Greg Monroe Preparing to Play Power Forward Next Season

Greg Monroe is one of the best young talents in the NBA. With averages of 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds last season, the Detroit Pistons big man is poised for a breakout ’12-’13 campaign. But with the addition of centers Andre Drummond and Slava Kravtsov, Monroe—who has mostly played center during his two-year career—is prepared to play considerable minutes at power forward next year. More details, via NBA.com: “No one knows for sure when Andre Drummond and Slava Kravtsov will earn the trust of Lawrence Frank and push their way into the Pistons’ rotation. But the Pistons are preparing for any contingency, which means Greg Monroe’s summer – which he enthusiastically calls ‘a very productive summer for me’ – has been at least partially devoted to preparing to play power forward in case the two 7-footers lock up available minutes at center. ‘They basically said I need to be prepared to play power forward,’ Monroe told me after a lengthy workout Monday at the team’s practice facility. ‘They’re looking for at least one of those guys to be ready, so I’ve started to prepare myself to be ready to play the four. We’ve been working on stuff to have me in those positions.’ Monroe feels the transition would be relatively seamless, especially on the offensive end.”